Vertical retort for the production of gas by the carbonization of coal.



UNITED sra'rns PATENT curios,

ARTHUR MCDOUGALL DUCKHAM, 0F WASEDA, HIGHEIELD, .ASHTEAD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOE TO ISBELL-POBTEE COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A 00% rons'rron or new YORK.

VERTICAL RETORT FOR THE PRUDUGTION 01: GAS BY THE CARBONIZATION OF COAL. I

Patented July 27, 1915.

Application-filed May 13, 1914. Serial No. 838,259.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR McDoUcALL DUcKLsM, residing at Waseda, Highiield, Ashtead, Surrey county, England. a subject of the King of Great Britain, have invent d certain new and useful Improvements in Vertical Retorts for the Production of Gas by the Carbonization of Coal, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction and operation of vertical retorts for the production of gas by the carbonization of coal.

In vertical retorts for the carbonization of coal. for the productionof gas and where the coke is more or less continually being discharged asa by-product from the lower end of the retort, there is a considerable waste of heat due to the temperature at which the coke leaves the retort.

The object of the present invention is to provide means not only for utilizing this sensible heat in thecoke at the bottom of the retort before it leaves a continuously operated vertical retort i'or carbonizing coal, but also recovering the greater part of the heat usually carried off by the waste gases passing from the heating fines of the retort, by causing said waste gases to pass through flues in contact with those around the lower part of the retort through which pass the primary or secondary air or both, or cold producer gas used for heating the coal in the retort, and by such an arrangement dis-- pose the air or gas to be heated between the hot retort and the Waste gas flues.

The invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with a retort in which the heating gases pass from the top toward the bottom of the retort, thereby permitting the heating fines to be continued downward to constitute the waste gas fiues surrounding or in contact with the air heating lines.

The invention consists of the structural embodiment of the above features, and in specifically efi'ective relative arrangement of parts, all of which will be more clearly described in the following specification. and particularly pointed out in the appended claims. V

Reference is had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which similarreferen'ce characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures. v

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of one of the retorts embracing the invention, taken on line I-I of Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line II-II of Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is a section taken on line III-III of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 constitutes the brick work or walls inclosing one of the vertical retorts 2, which is preferably rectangular in cross-section, having an upper charging opening 3 and. a lower discharge or outlet 4, said retort 2 tapering from outlet 4 to the inlet 3, as shown in Fig. 2. While I have shpwn only one retort, I wish it to be understood that my invention also,

embraces the connection of two or more retorts to form a bench of retorts in a single brick structure or walls, the same being a mere matter of multiplying the construction of retort herein shown and described, and readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Adjacent to the bottom section and on two sides of'the retort 2, is provided a series of superposed, horizontal regenerator or recuperator fines or tubes 5, 5,.one end of which. flues 5, 5, communicates with a forward vertical flue 6, while their other ends communicate with the bottom of a rear verhead, or uptake flue 7, said flue 7 extending to near the top of the retort 2. The forward vertical flue 6 is connected by means of a branch pipe 8 to a main 9, which sup lies the cool producer gas alonga bench 0 retorts, said branch pipe 8 being rovided with the usual valve 10 for control ing and regulating the supply of producer gas pass ing through the dues or tubes 5, 5..

The upper end of each of the uptake flues vertical flue 14:, to a. main flue 15, which main flue leads to a stack, not shown. At the point of connection of the vertical flue 14 with the main flue 15, a damper 16 may be provided for the purpose of controlling the drafbor communication between said flues 1431.116. 15. The lower sections of the lines 12, 12, and horizontal flue 13, and vertical flue 141, are adjacent to and on the outer sides of the lines 5, 5, as shown, and for purposes to be hereinafter described. At the bottom of the retort 2, and on the outer sides of each set of fines 12, 13, and 14, is a second series of fines or recuperator tubes, 17, 17, each of said tubes having one of its ends 18 preferably connected and valve controlled with the outside air, and its other end to a rear vertical uptake fine 19, parallel to and adjacent the uptake tines 7, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The upper end of each of the uptake flues 19, 19, is connected to a horizontal distributing flue 20, adjacent and similarly arranged with re spect to the upper ends of the downtake lines 12, 12, as the horizontal fines. 11, 11, for the purpose of conveying air to be mixed with the producer gas issuing from the lines 11, 11, and burned in said flues 12, 12. The

size of the openings connecting the horizontal fines 11 and 20 with the downtake flues 12,12, may be controlled by adjustable dampers 21, 21, for regulating the supply of gas or air into the downtake fines 12, 12,,and degree of heating of the coal in the retorts 2, 2. Short vertical fines 23, 23, provided with'outer closing caps 22, 22, are connected with the horizontal fiues 11 and 20, for the purpose of lighting the gas, inspecting the operation of the retort, or cleaning the fines,-

if found necessary.

The operation of the invention is as follows: Assuming cool producer gas is supplied from a main 9 to the different retorts, by branch conduits 8, which are controlled by valves 10, corresponding to the particular retort or coking chamber 2, the producer gas is drawn by the draft of the stack from the conduit 8 into each of the forward vertical fines 6, from which said gas is distributed and passed through two series of horizontal heating fines 5, 5. The gas pass ing through these fines 5, 5, is highly heated by the hot coke at the bottom of the retort or chamber 2 andfiows into the lower ends of .the uptake lines 7, 7, and ascends the same and is collected in the horizontal distributing fines 11, 11, from. which said heated gas passes, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1. and 2, in adownward direction into the retort heating flues 12, 12. *The secondary air enters from the atmosphere through the valve controlled openings 18 into a second series of heating or recuperating tubes 17, 17, said air being heated. by the hot products of combustion passing through and out the fines 12 and 13, at the lower section of the retort or chamber 2. The heated air flows out of said tubes 17, 17, into the bottom and up the fines 19, 19, into the horizontal air distributing lines 20, 20, from which said air passes downwardly as indicated by the arrows, into the heating fines 12, 12, and mixes intimately with the heated producer gas issuing from the fiues 11, 11, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The high heat produced by the combustion of the heated and mixed air and gas, is efiiciently conveyed to the coal within the chamber or retort 2 throughout thecoking zone of the coal, and the hot products, of combustion pass downwardly between the two series or sets of tubes 5, 5, and 17, 17, and finally to the stack by the fines 13, 14 and 15, and in so doing, also assist in heating the producer gas passing through the tubes 5, 5. Thus it will be seen that the producer gas is not only heated by the heat of the coke passing through the bottom of the retort or chamber but also by the heat remaining in the products of combustion after having carbonized the coal in the retort 2.

The feeding of the coal into the top of the retort and the extraction of the finished coke from the bottom end thereof, may be effected in any well known lnanner, and forms no essential feature of the present invention.

It is evident that the arrangement of air and gas recuperation or heating flues 17 and 5, may be reversed, that is, the gas may be conducted through the tubes 17 and the air through tubes 5, in which case the gas will flow through the uptake fines 19 and distributing flues 20 and the air through the uptake fines? and distributing fines 11. Various other changes may be made to the specific construction shown in the accompanying drawing without departing in any way from the spirit of this invention. For instance, instead of preheating the gas and air, the gas recuperation may be omitted and either the tubes 5 alone or together with tubes 17, may be used for heating the air, or, either one of the rows of tubes 17 and 5 may be used for heating the primary air I supplied to a gas producer, andlthe other row of tubes for the secondary air. In such cases the air may be admitted to tubes 5 in a similar manner as shown for the tubes 17, while the fuel gas for heating the retort may be supplied in any other suitable manner, either in a heated or cold condition.

What I claim is L 1. A retort for carbonizing coal for the production of gas comprising a vertical coking chamber having an upper coal charging inlet and a lower coke outlet or discharge, a gas heating flue and an air heating flue adjacent the lower section or discharge of outlet for Erodubts of combustion at the bottom of t e coking chamber.

A retort for carbonizing coal for the production of gas comprising a vertical coking chamber havmgan upper coal charging inlet anda lower eoke ojitlet or discharge,

separated horizontal air? and gas heating fines at the bottom and jadjacent the lower section or discharge offthe vertical coking chamber, and a vertical coal heating flue adjacent the vertical coking chamber above the gas and air heating fines and between the separated air and gas heating fines at the lower section of the coking chamber,

said coal heating fiues having an inlet communicating with the gas and air heating fines near the top of the coking chamber and an outlet for the products of combustion at the bottom of the coking chamber.

3. A retort for carbonizing coal for the production of gas comprising a vertical coking chamber having an upper coal charging inlet and a lower coke outlet or discharge, a series of horizontal air heating flues at the bottom and adjacent the lower section or discharge of the vertical cokin chamber, a series of vertical coal heating ues adjacent the vertical coking chamber above the air heating Hues and adjacent to the outer side of the air heating flues at the bottom of the coking chamber, a series of gas heating flues at the bottom and on each side of the coking air heating fiues at the bottom and adjacent the lower'section or discharge ofthe vertical coking chamber, coal heating fiues'adjacent the vertical coking chamber above the gas and air heating flues and arranged between the gas and air heating flues at the lower section of the coking chamber, said coal heating flues having gas and air inlets communicating with the outlets of the gas and air heating flues near the top of the cokin chamber, and an outlet for the products 0 combustion adjacent the gas and air heating hues at the bottom of the coking chamber.

5. A retort for carbonizing coal for the production of gas comprising a vertical coking chamber having an upper coal charging inlet and a lower coke outlet or discharge, a series of primary heating flues on opposite sides and at the bottom and adjacent the lower section or discharge of the vertical coking chamber, a series of coal heating flues adjacent the vertical coking chamber above and on the same sides as the rimary heatin g fines and on the outer side of the prlmary heating flues below the primary heating flues, a series of secondary heating flues at the bottom and on each side of the coking chamber and on the opposite side of the coal heating flues from that of the primary heating flues, separate vertical flues connecting the primary and secondar fiues with the coal heating flues, said coal eating flues having inlets near the top of the cokin chamber communicating with the outlets o the separated vertical fines and an outlet adjacent the primary and secondary heating flues at the bottom of the coking chamber.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR MGDOUGALL DUCKHAH.

Witnesses: v

S'rnvnivsoN BINNING, WV. E. Rooms. 

